Never Again

Pictures say what words can't. Yesterday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/27/5934012-holocaust-remembrance-day-commemorated-around-the-world

Thank God for Wyoming-Most & Least Tolerant States.

Below are the top and bottom five from 20 Most Tolerant States by The Daily Beast.

1, Wisconsin
Tolerance score: 77 out of 100
Hate crime score: 27 out of 40
Discrimination score: 39 out of 40
Gay rights score: 3 out of 10
Religious Tolerance Score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents: 1.0 (10 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents: 9.2 (5 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage: 44%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life: 79%                                                                                                 
2, Maryland
Tolerance score: 75 out of 100
Hate crime score: 25 out of 40
Discrimination score: 37 out of 40
Gay rights score: 5 out of 10
Religious Tolerance Score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents: 1.8 (19 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents: 7.8 (1 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage: 51%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life: 72%

3, Illinois
Tolerance score: 74 out of 100
Hate crime score: 30 out of 40
Discrimination score: 31 out of 40
Gay rights score: 5 out of 10
Religious Tolerance Score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents: 1.5 (16 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents: 14.5 (24 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage: 48%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life: 74%

4, Pennsylvania
Tolerance score: 72 out of 100
Hate crime score: 29 out of 40
Discrimination score: 31 out of 40
Gay rights score: 4 out of 10
Religious Tolerance Score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents: 0.4 (5 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents: 11.8 (13 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage: 51%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life: 75%

5, Hawaii
Tolerance score: 71 out of 100
Hate crime score: 34 out of 40
Discrimination score: 27 out of 40
Gay rights score: 4 out of 10
Religious Tolerance Score: 6 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents: 0.1 (1 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents: 20.3 (35 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage: 54%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life: 66% . . . . .

46, Ohio
Tolerance score: 40 out of 100
Hate crime score: 15 out of 40
Discrimination score: 16 out of 40
Gay rights score: 1 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 3.1 (33 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 24.2 (44 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 45%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 76%

47, Nebraska
Tolerance score: 40 out of 100
Hate crime score: 17 out of 40
Discrimination score: 16 out of 40
Gay rights score: -1 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 5.1 (44 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 38.8 (49 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 35%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 78%

48, Kansas
Tolerance score: 38 out of 100
Hate crime score: 12 out of 40
Discrimination score: 18 out of 40
Gay rights score: 0 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 8 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 5.6 (46 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 23.0 (41 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 37%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 71%

49, Arkansas
Tolerance score: 37 out of 100
Hate crime score: 15 out of 40
Discrimination score: 17 out of 40
Gay rights score: -1 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 6 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 2.7 (28 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 23.9 (43 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 29%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 63%

50, Wyoming
Tolerance score: 32 out of 100
Hate crime score: 16 out of 40
Discrimination score: 8 out of 40
Gay rights score: 2 out of 10
Religious Tolerance score: 6 out of 10
Hate crime incidents per 100,000 residents:: 1.5 (15 out of 50 states)
Discrimination cases filed per 100,000 residents:: 201.9 (50 out of 50 states)
Population in support of same-sex marriage:: 37%
Population that believes many religions lead to eternal life:: 63%

Click here for full list. 

I'm hoping someone will come up with a critique of the criteria and methodology that will say it ain't so. 

Thanks to McGraham

Guns Don't Kill People. Exercise Kills People.

"The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible." Michelle Obama's 'Get Moving' Program Linked to Pedestrian Deaths by Mark Weaver.  It is not clear whether it's the advice itself, or the source being one of the colored people in the formerly "White" house.  See, also, Just The Same Old Dumb by: William Rivers Pitt

Let's sing along with Sarah Palin's theme song, Plenty of Guns & Something to Shoot to combat this exercise suicide.  (Yes, I know some think Chris Wall meant for this to be satire, but that don't change the truth)

Thanks to Karen 

Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – Aug. 1, 1966)-Who Are We to Say the Boy's Insane?

“All three Whitman children served as altar boys at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, and Whitman chose the Confirmation name Joseph for himself. As a 12-year-old, he was among the youngest in history to achieve Eagle Scout and the first in Lake Worth to do so at that age.”
See also, 

Now think of the shame and degradation
For the school’s administration
He put on such a bold and brassy show.
The chancellor cried, “it’s adolescent
And of course it’s most unpleasant
But I’ve got to admit it was a lovely way to go.”

There was a rumor about a tumor
Nestled at the base of his brain.
He was sitting up there with his .36 Magnum
Laughing wildly as he bagged ‘em.
Who are we to say the boy’s insane ? 
From The Ballad of Charles Whitman, by Kinky Friedman.
See, also, The Madman in the Tower.

MLK's Question

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

Mrs. Betty Bowers On Sarah Palin On Gabrielle Giffords.

Mrs. Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian Gun-crazy, nutjob Sarah Palin puts a target on Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) and another gun-crazy nutjob pulls the trigger. If Sarah Palin had a conscience she would hide in shame. Pity Sarah herself wasn't the gunman -- that way, no one would have been hit.

Ban Brazilians & Just Say No To Hardwood

I’m saddened by the aversion young people have to hair.  I had heard about Brazilians several years ago, by accident and never dreamed "normal" people would do it.  A year or two ago, a young man confided in me that his wife made him shave his chest and back, but I just thought she was a bit kinky.  Not until last night did I discover that this practice has become mainstream and that the terms “hardwood” & “landing strip” are code words to describe the state of a woman’s hair.  The young women who told me this also informed me that a man with hair on his chest is no longer considered attractive and body hair in general is a turn off.  
As Young Art would say, "This shit just ain't right." Hair is beautiful and signifies adulthood.  I’m sure there are folks who are not pedophiles who prefer a hairless lover, but it’s just not natural.  This madness must stop!  Please don’t muff the opportunity to be the self that God made.  If this continues, we'll have to do another musical.

How Bout Them Hog Noses?

I love these snakes.  They puff up, hiss, and crawl on their bellies like reptiles.  If that doesn't work, they play dead.  They may deliver a closed mouth strike, but don't bite.  I haven't seen one since I was a kid.  Since toads were a primary food source, these wonderful creatures are probably rare now too.

Softly And Tenderly-If You Care Not for Other Sentient Beings, Take Care of Yourself.

"Within moments of birth, male calves born on dairies are taken away from their mothers and loaded onto trucks. Many are sold through auction rings where they are subjected to transportation and handling stresses. The fragile animals are shocked and kicked, and when they can no longer walk, they are dragged by their legs or even their ears. Every year, approximately one million calves are confined in crates measuring just two feet wide. They are chained by the neck to restrict all movement, making it is impossible for them to turn around, stretch, or even lie down comfortably. This severe confinement makes the calves' meat "tender" since the animals muscles cannot develop."

Of course, what muscle is left is poisoned with antibiotics necessary to keep the calves alive while living in their own excrement.

A calf lies dead in the slatted stall in which it stood for all of its life, with no mother, sunlight or decent food. This is the fate of a calf raised for veal

So Long To One of My Favorite Couples.

 This is the 1st Anniversary of Barbara & Jim's 25th.  Some think Barbara is in a boomerang place and it will work out.  It won't. They've moved on.  A couple of days ago though, I did hear Jim singing the chorus of Hard Dog, just as he used to sing it to her:

"I give you my love and I give you my money

but you've got the feelings of a fence post honey.

I don't hold a grudge I just carry a torch.

You're a hard dog to keep under the porch."

No, that's not why she left.  

Here's to a  pretty good cowboy and and a pretty good cowgirl,  They are still a couple of my favorite individuals.  Happy trails.

The Work of Christmas.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.

When The Song of Angels Is Stilled by Howard Thurman 
Thanks to Rev. Sandi.

Public Service Announcement-Schedule Change.

The OZO Dub Stars v Dublin camogie and ladies football games scheduled for Tuesday 28 December at Kilmacud Crokes have been deferred until Saturday 15 January 2011 due to the bad weather.

It Used To Be Santy.

When I was very small.  In Coal Hill?  Ozark?  Rogers?  I don't know.  Surely not Fedvul. 

Thanks to the Camogie Lasses for Supporting the Hope Foundation.

Rosa Ponselle & Bobby Burns-Great Scots!

The Bard's birthday is just around the corner.  Rosa Ponselle gives him an early tribute.

Land a Goshen!

"This . . .  picture from [a] game camera in Goshen, Arkansas. Only 2 people know where the camera actually is and it not the easiest place to play a joke or get to at  1:44 am. I was just seeing if you guys have seen anything ever like this before or can help identify. We are all just a little more afraid to deer hunt in NWA now."  From a report to the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission last Wednesday, December 8, 2010.
So far Game & Fish has not been able to identify the creature, but there is speculation that it is a zombie.

Potential Lasts

I don't wear shoes a lot anymore, but I have a bunch of socks.  It hit me this morning that I'll probably never need to buy another sock in my life.  The same is probably true for cars.  

 

We Have a Lot to Ponder and to Be Thankful for This Holiday Season

Fridays at the Pentagon

By Joseph L. Galloway | McClatchy Newspapers Posted May 23, 2007

It's that time of year again. Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of summer fun for most Americans, and as I've done before in this space, I want to pause to take note of the real reason there is a Memorial Day.

It's meant to honor and pay our respects to those Americans who've given their lives in service to our nation, who stand in an unbroken line from Lexington's rude bridge to Cemetery Ridge to the Argonne Forest to the beaches of Normandy to the frozen Chosin Reservoir to the Ia Drang Valley to the sands of Kuwait to the streets of Baghdad.

Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals.

This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.

Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May 17 on the Web-log of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Web site.

"It is 110 yards from the 'E' ring to the 'A' ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls. There are thousands here.

"This hallway, more than any other, is the 'Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army. Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew. Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of bodies in this area. The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares.

"10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building. This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.

"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his presence. He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private first class.

"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in the burden ... yet.

"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.

"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private, corporal or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.

"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. 'My hands hurt.' Christ. Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway — 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts.

"They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.

"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past.

"These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years." Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2007/05/23/16478/a-must-read-for-memorial-day-52307.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz17isQPzKp

Though this was written for Memorial Day, it's appropriate at any time, especially during the holidays when we often give thanks, but, in the revelry forget those who give so much and those who are in need.  Thanks to Ken 

Let's also remember those who don't get to come home.

"Cpl. Chad S. Wade of Bentonville. . . . 22, died Dec. 1 in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province after being struck by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol." Fallen Marine Remembered For Sacrifice By Tabatha Hunter in the Morning News.

I hope and pray that this carnage will end soon. Virg

Let's all live up to our capacity....

"In everyone there is the capacity to wake up, to understand, to love."
- Thich Nhat Hanh, from Being Peace

"If 'ifs' and 'buts' were candy and nuts, wouldn't it be a Merry Christmas?" 'Dandy Don' Meredith (1938-2010)

Christmas won't be as merry without you Don.  Thanks for the laughs. I got to see you play in 1958 I think.  You were a pretty fair country football player too.  Thanks for the thrills.